What does sustainability mean when we talk about coffee?
Sustainability in coffee is about more than just one specific certification, type of packaging, or cultivation method.
Coffee moves through a long value chain before it ends up in the cup. The coffee cherry is grown and harvested, the coffee beans are processed and dried, transported as green coffee, roasted, packaged, distributed, and finally brewed.
When talking about sustainability in coffee, it therefore makes the most sense to look at this entire chain and at environmental, social, and economic conditions alike.
Furthermore, there is no single coffee bean or brand that can automatically be described as the most sustainable solution in all contexts.
Environmental sustainability in coffee production
Coffee is an agricultural product, and its cultivation therefore takes place in direct interaction with nature.
Environmental impact can, among other things, be related to how the land is farmed, how much water is used, how the coffee cherries are processed, the use of fertilizers and crop protection, as well as the impact on biodiversity and surrounding ecosystems.
Conditions vary significantly between countries, regions, and producers.
Therefore, it is difficult to assess a coffee’s environmental profile based solely on the country of origin.
Two coffees from the same country can be grown and processed in very different ways.
If you want to better understand the raw material itself, you can read our explanation of what coffee beans actually are.
Social conditions are also part of sustainability
Coffee production involves millions of people through cultivation, harvesting, processing, trade, transport, and further treatment.
Therefore, sustainability is not just about climate and environment.
Working conditions, safety, opportunities for long-term production, and the economy surrounding coffee production are also relevant parts of the discussion.
In other words, a coffee cannot be evaluated solely on its climate footprint if one wants a broad picture of sustainability.
Economic sustainability also matters
For coffee to be produced in the long term, production must simultaneously be economically viable for the people and companies involved in the value chain.
Coffee is an international commodity, and prices, production costs, quality, yield, and demand can all impact the producer's economy.
Therefore, economic conditions are often considered the third pillar of sustainability, alongside environmental and social conditions.
What do coffee certifications mean?
You may encounter various certifications and labeling schemes for coffee.
They can set requirements in specific areas such as cultivation methods, traceability, environment, or social conditions.
However, it is important to understand that different schemes set different requirements.
A certification therefore says something specific about the standards the coffee or value chain has been assessed against, but the word “certified” does not in itself mean that all aspects of sustainability have been solved.
The same applies to organic coffee.
Organic production says something about the farming method and the rules that apply to organic production, but sustainability is a broader term that can also include, for example, social and economic conditions.
Is locally roasted coffee the same as locally produced coffee?
No.
Coffee cannot be grown commercially in the Danish climate in the same way as in traditional coffee-producing regions around the equator.
When we talk about locally roasted coffee at Brændeholm Risteri, it means that the green raw coffee is imported from coffee-producing countries and then roasted here by us on Funen.
It is important to distinguish between the coffee's origin and the place where the coffee is roasted.
If you want to know more about the roasting work itself, you can read about our roasting profiles at Brændeholm Risteri.
Transport is only one part of the coffee's total journey
It may be tempting to judge sustainability solely on how far a product has been transported.
For coffee, the picture is more complex.
The coffee's impact arises through several stages, including cultivation, processing, drying, transport, roasting, packaging, distribution, and the way the coffee is ultimately brewed.
Transport distance, therefore, does not in itself tell the whole story.
This is also the reason why terms like “local coffee” should be used precisely: the coffee can be locally roasted, even though the raw material naturally comes from a coffee-producing country.
Coffee waste is also worth considering
Another part of sustainability is about utilizing the products and resources that have already been produced.
Coffee does not necessarily go bad overnight just because it is no longer freshly roasted.
Instead of automatically discarding coffee, in many cases, it can still provide a good coffee experience.
At Brændeholm Risteri, we therefore also have a category called Stop coffee waste, where coffee that we do not wish to sell as part of our regular freshly roasted assortment can get a chance to be used rather than thrown away.
What can you do yourself as a coffee drinker?
There is no single perfect way to drink coffee sustainably.
But it makes a lot of sense to avoid unnecessary waste.
Buy an amount of coffee that you can realistically use, and store the coffee beans correctly so that the quality stays at its best.
If you use reusable coffee equipment, long service life and proper maintenance can also be relevant. The best equipment is not necessarily the newest, if the equipment you already have works well.
You can find more knowledge about coffee, storage, and brewing in our coffee brewing guides.
Is organic coffee always more sustainable?
Organic coffee is produced according to specific rules for organic production.
It can be a relevant element when assessing a coffee, but organic and sustainable do not mean exactly the same thing.
Sustainability can also include social conditions, economy, biodiversity, energy, transport, packaging, and resource consumption.
Therefore, one should be cautious about reducing the entire question of sustainability to a single label.
Is there such a thing as completely sustainable coffee?
It is more accurate to talk about different choices, production methods, and improvements than to divide all coffee into either “sustainable” or “not sustainable.”
Coffee is an agricultural product with a long international value chain, and there will be impacts at different stages.
For us, it is therefore more important to be precise about what we know about a coffee than to use broad sustainability claims without documentation.
If you want to move from theory to the coffee itself, you can see our freshly roasted coffee beans.
About Brændeholm Risteri's coffee knowledge
The content is written with a focus on practical coffee knowledge and on explaining complicated coffee topics as precisely as possible. If you want to know more about the roastery and the person behind it, you can read about Brændeholm Risteri and our work with coffee.